UK Epson Printer Cartridge Recycling Guide
Unfortunately empty Epson cartridges cannot raise funds for good causes because the cost of collecting and refilling them is much higher than the cost of making new copies. However there are many free recycling options. If you have cartridges for another manufacturer of printer, please see our complete UK cartridge recycling guide instead.
⚠️ Got any full / unused cartridges?
If you have full & unused Epson cartridges (genuine / originals) still sealed in their packaging, do not recycle them as empties — try our full cartridge guide instead:
If you just have empty Epson cartridges, here are some options for recycling those:
1. Return to Epson
If your cartridges are Epson-branded genuine originals — they show the Epson logo on the packaging and are not compatible / off-brand / generic versions — you can return them to Epson! They pay the transport and processing costs.
First, check if your cartridge (or the new one you've bought) came with a pre-paid recycling envelope or postage label to use to return an empty cartridge. If not, you can organise recycling on Epson's web site:
Choose your printer type, and depending on that you'll be given an option to receive recycling envelopes in the post, print out a prepaid postage label, or organise collections.
Local Drop-Offs
You can take advantage of cartridge refill shops, local council recycling sites, larger supermarkets, and office supply stores for any ink cartridges, and some of these options will help you with limited quantities of toner cartridges.
Return to Manufacturer
If your have compatible/generic/refilled Epson cartridges, it's possible the manufacturer provides an alternative free recycling scheme to the original/genuine Epson one, but it's worth checking on Google using the name of the cartridge's manufacturer.
Return to Supplier or Retailer
Ask your supplier or retailer if they can take back your empties as a courtesy to you as their customer.
If you buy from a physical (bricks and mortar) store, they must either accept the empties in store for free recycling, or they will have to pay money towards local-council-run recycling facilities.
Why Recycle with the Manufacturer?
As they are the manufacturer of these items, they will know best how to reuse or recycle the components, so this is a good environmental destination for your cartridges (if they cannot raise funds for a good cause).
Not a good solution for you? Try the other options in our empty cartridge recycling guide instead.
75% of empty cartridges in the UK are not recycled even though there are plenty of reuse and recycling options, and many of them are free and easy to use.
A typical cartridge, with its plastics and electronics, will take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill site, but having an empty cartridge reused saves up to 2.5kg of CO2 compared to making a new cartridge from scratch.
everycartridge.com is here to help you to find and use the many services that exist locally and nationwide, and cut through the misinformation to ensure that your cartridges do not go to landfill.
